How to hire a day care teacher

How to hire a day care teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step day care teacher hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a day care teacher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new day care teacher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a day care teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The day care teacher hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a day care teacher to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a day care teacher that fits the bill.

   This list presents day care teacher salaries for various positions.

   Type of Day Care Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Day Care Teacher	Teacher assistants work under a teacher’s supervision to give students additional attention and instruction.	$10-20
   Teacher Aide	Teacher aides help lead teachers in managing the classroom. They assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions by setting up the classroom in advance, sourcing materials needed for class activities, helping in presentations, and guiding students during class activities... Show more	$11-17
   Infant And Toddler Teacher	An infant and toddler teacher is a professional who aids in the cognitive and social development of preschool children by teaching them the most basic skills that focus on play-centered learning and creativity. Infant and toddler teachers must help children develop positive self-images and encourage them to explore their interests and develop social skills... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Kids
   • Child Care
   • CPR
   • Learning Environment
   • Mathematics
   • Child Development
   • Classroom Environment
   • Social Development
   • Classroom Management
   • Pre-K
   • Parent-Teacher Conferences
   • Preschool Children
   • Social Growth
   • Developmental Problems

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Participate in safety, first aid and CPR classes.
   • Offer detailed daily reports that outline each child's activities.Upheld all CPR and Florida regulate certifications.
   • Operate van safely when driving residents, adhering to reasonable cleanliness standards and notifying appropriate personnel of maintenance concerns.
   • Prepare, plan, organize, and instruct interactive classes to engage children in bible and life lessons.

   More day care teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your day care teacher job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A day care teacher salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, day care teachers' average salary in south carolina is 39% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level day care teachers earn 48% less than senior-level day care teachers.
   • Certifications. A day care teacher with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a day care teacher's salary.

   Average day care teacher salary

   $15.01hourly

   $31,231 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level day care teacher salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average day care teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$34,697	$17
   2	District of Columbia	$30,866	$15
   3	California	$30,832	$15
   4	Minnesota	$30,218	$15
   5	New York	$30,147	$14
   6	Oregon	$28,910	$14
   7	Utah	$28,303	$14
   8	Colorado	$27,931	$13
   9	Pennsylvania	$27,579	$13
   10	Missouri	$26,250	$13
   11	South Dakota	$25,588	$12
   12	Texas	$25,508	$12
   13	New Jersey	$25,437	$12
   14	Ohio	$24,887	$12
   15	North Carolina	$24,794	$12
   16	Tennessee	$24,157	$12
   17	Maryland	$23,581	$11
   18	Wisconsin	$23,528	$11
   19	Georgia	$23,194	$11
   20	Iowa	$22,841	$11

   Average day care teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy	$41,826	$20.11	1
   2	Scholar Academies	$38,649	$18.58	9
   3	Washington Union High School	$38,085	$18.31	2
   4	Cottage Health	$36,563	$17.58	38
   5	Mercy Corps	$35,844	$17.23	6
   6	Tioga Downs Casino	$34,797	$16.73	2
   7	Berkeley High School	$34,476	$16.57	26
   8	Kettering Health Network	$33,437	$16.08	13
   9	Archdiocese of New York	$32,956	$15.84	5
   10	Columbia Academy	$32,849	$15.79
   11	Minneapolis Public Schools	$32,620	$15.68	25
   12	Broward County Public Schools	$32,374	$15.56	46
   13	LifePoint Health	$32,075	$15.42	35
   14	Johnston Memorial Hospital Corporation	$31,865	$15.32
   15	Community Health Systems	$31,862	$15.32	72
   16	Denver Public Schools	$31,198	$15.00	39
   17	North Ridge Health and Rehab	$30,969	$14.89
   18	LifeWorks	$30,515	$14.67	1
   19	La Peninsula Community Organization	$30,504	$14.67
   20	Intermountain Healthcare	$29,966	$14.41	3

4. Writing a day care teacher job description

   A job description for a day care teacher role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a day care teacher job description:

   Day care teacher job description example

   -The employee must occasionally lift and move up to 30 pounds.

   -Prioritizes and ability to multi-task requiring good memory, concentrations, and analytical thinking.

   Work Environment:

   The work environment is generally set in a classroom like setting, may be required to venture outside for children’s activities. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

   Travel:

   Travel is not required for this position.

   Education and Experience:

   · High School Diploma or GED required.

   · 1-3 years experience working with pre-school aged children and related education required.

   · Ability to communicate effectively with children and parents.

   · Strong interpersonal skills and ability to identify and deal with carious child care situations. Must be able to resolve conflicts effectively in a professional and positive manner.

   · Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Proficient in writing reports and lesson planning.

   · Demonstrable ability to multi-task and adhere to deadlines

   Other Duties:

   Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

   Job Type:

   • Part-time

   Schedule:

   • Tuesday to Friday

   Experience:

   • Early Childhood General Education Teachers: 1 year (Preferred)

   License/Certification:

   • CPR Certification (Preferred)

   Work Location: One location

   Armed Services YMCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. ASYMCA is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. ASYMCA encourages applicants of all ages.

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right day care teacher for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your day care teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit day care teacher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with day care teacher candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new day care teacher

   Once you've found the day care teacher candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new day care teacher first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a day care teacher?